Ecuador is tiny, but remarkably diverse

Cotopaxi is the highest active volcano in the world and Ecuador's tallest peak at 5,897 metres.

Photograph by: Jorge Vinueza, AFP-Getty Images
, Calgary Herald

Though Ecuador is tiny, it is remarkably, richly diverse.

Drive 20 minutes and everything changes, in this South American country that's slightly smaller than Nevada: the topography, climate, plants and animals -- even the culture.

Nowhere else have I experienced sweating in the tropical rainforest, then been nestled in bed hours later by a roaring fire, a hot water bottle gratefully tucked under my toes. This despite the fact the country is named for the equator that runs through its heart 24 kilometres north of capital Quito.

Like many visitors, I was surprised the country is not only tropical but is also home to many microclimates, including the snow capping the highest of the Avenue of Volcanoes' 55 peaks (of which 14 are active).

The climatic extremes are amazing, but it's how fast it changes that is so startling. Yet, this, more than anything, illustrates how the tiny nation of Ecuador nurtures one of just 17 biological megadiversity hot spots on the planet.

The numbers are staggering: 1,600 -- 15 per cent of the world's -- bird species on the mainland alone and another 38 that are endemic to the Galapagos; 3,500 orchid species, the most on Earth; 4,500 or more butterflies; more than 16,000 plant species, 106 reptiles and 138 amphibians native to the country, and so on.

It was this diversity of nature's bounty, and the Ecuadoran culture, that drew us here. Better yet, we were going to be there this year, which was declared the International Year of Biodiversity by the United Nations.

Though we spent a month criss-crossing the smallest Andean nation, whose compact size makes for short travel times from central hub Quito, we returned home with a "to-do-next-time" list.

We explored the Galapagos Islands, 1,000 kilometres off the west coast, two of the mainland's three regions, which run in parallel strips from the Colombian border in the north to Peru in the south: the Andes or Sierra, broken into western and eastern cordilleras, and the Oriente (the Ecuadoran Amazon).

We skipped the Pacific coast or Costa, deciding that beach resorts there would be similar to those elsewhere.

With so much natural beauty and diversity of terrain, Ecuador attracts wildlife and outdoor enthusiasts from around the world. While there are plenty of tour operators and adventure outfitters, it's wise to check guides are qualified and ecotourism claims are genuine.

We chose to work with three top eco-adventure tour operators. ROW International for a one-of-a-kind, land-based Galapagos adventure, Tierra Del Volcan (Volcano Land) for Andean adventures and haciendas, and Neblina Forest, a birdwatching and natural history specialist for cloud forest and day trips from Quito.

All are committed to genuine ecotourism and sustainable travel practices, ensuring low-impact treks and meeting and contributing directly to local peoples.

To really explore the wilderness and get as close as possible to wildlife, our guides led us on walking, hiking, paddling, snorkelling, scuba diving, horseback riding and ziplining adventures, our bodies sometimes protesting, but by the end feeling healthy and fit.

We covered a lot of ground, experiencing so much so quickly that it seemed our visit was much longer.

So impressed were we with what we experienced, it's impossible to choose just one highlight.

Although the unique wildlife of the Galapagos was delightful -- lumbering giant tortoises; the flightless, but lightning-quick underwater Galapagos penguins; and sluggish, sun-worshipping marine iguanas -- it was their casual attitude toward visitors and sheer numbers clustered in a single site that most amazed us.

The Galapagos wasn't outdone, but certainly ranked right up there with many other places we saw. Like the Oriente, which gave us one of our National Geographic moments. Here a clatter and colourful flurry of eight species of parrots and parakeets, including rarely seen scarlet macaws, fed at mineral-rich clay licks.

There was also the nature-rich excursions at Napo Wildlife Center, the newest eco-lodge in Amazonian Ecuador, owned by the indigenous Kichwas of Anangu. This ecotourism project largely supports the people and a private nature reserve in northern Yasuni National Park, a UNESCO biosphere reserve that numbers among the most biologically diverse areas on Earth.

Mindo, in the dense cloud forest covering the Andes' western slopes, is also a biodiversity hot spot.

"It's the mecca of the birds," says Xavier Munoz, Neblina Forest's owner. It was also declared the world's first Important Bird Area by BirdLife International.

An early trek to Refugio Paz de Las Aves, owned by a campesino (farmer) turned to ecotourism, to see the Andean cock-of-the rock and three species of antpittas was a highlight, as was seeing almost 30 of Ecuador's 135 species of hummingbirds in just two days.

Another high was getting higher than we have been before. With Jorge Perez, owner of Tierra Del Volcan, cautioning a slow pace given the altitude, we hiked to the refugio (climbing hut) perched at 4,800 metres (three miles) on the snow line of the iconic, perfectly conical Volcan Cotopaxi south of Quito. Reaching 5,897 metres, it is the highest active volcano in the world and Ecuador's second-highest peak.

Our reward was a homey stay at Perez's Hacienda El Porvenir, a traditional adobe, straw-roofed farmhouse, converted, like many former grand farming estates dating from the Spanish conquest, into a cosy, remote lodging, complete with working farm.

Later, I joined the extended Perez family and 40 or so chagras (Andean cowboys) for a multi-day rodeo (cattle roundup) at Hacienda El Tambo, their most remote lodging and farm, about 90 minutes away on the far side of Cotopaxi.

In the scrubby sub-alpine paramo on the slopes of Quilindana Volcano, I witnessed highland chagra traditions unfolding as they have for centuries, and each participant's respect for them.

"This is a magical place," said Juan Fernando, the Perez patriarch, as dusk settled over Cotopaxi, sighing with obvious fondness.

It is indeed and it's a pity few visitors take the time to see more of this diverse country. There is so much more to Ecuador than the Galapagos.

If You Go

-Getting there: Air Canada Calgary to Houston, then Continental non-stop to Quito took 11 hours and cost $1,383. aircanada.com,continental.com

-Since 1994, Ecuadoran tour operator Neblina Forest has been promoting Ecuador's avifauna and its wilderness to visitors. Neblina offers a variety of scheduled and customized birdwatching and nature tours, including orchids and photo safaris, in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Panama, Guyana and Colombia. A four-day/three-night tour similar to the one we took is $801 US per person including lodging, meals, entrance fees and guide. 1-800-538-2149, neblinaforest.com

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